Sumo stables: Secretive world of Japanese wrestling

Daisy Carrington, for CNN • Updated 16th March 2016

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(CNN) — Sumo wrestling is as ingrained in the culture of Japan as sushi and cat cafes.

Alas, those eager to catch a match might be out of luck, as ticket prices are high and the tournament season is sporadic and short-lived -- there are only six tournaments per year throughout the country.

The good news is, with a little forward planning, visitors to Tokyo can get closer to a sumo wrestler than they ever would at a tournament. So close, in fact, they can even smell their sweat.

Inside a sumo wrestler's house

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Sumo is as ancient as it is quintessentially Japanese. Historians agree that the sport dates back at least 2,000 years, and in its current form has remained largely unchanged since the Edo period.

Rigid in its ceremony, the actual bouts often last mere seconds, and much of the time the two opponents face off in the "dohyo" -- a raised clay dais -- is spent going through a set of ritualized traditions. Settling down on their haunches, the two "rikishi" -- wrestlers -- face off before standing again, walking to their respective corners and their seconds, before throwing salt into the ring to purify it.

While viewing figures have declined in the last two decades, watching the sport -- televised or otherwise -- during the six yearly grand tournaments, or "honbasho," is a uniquely Japanese experience that fans hope will never fade away.

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When they're not competing, sumo wrestlers train year round in designated sumo stables, or beya.

These stables, which are mostly based in Tokyo's Ryogoku neighborhood, are where the city's wrestlers live, eat, sleep and practice on a near daily basis. In recent years, it's become more common for foreigners to visit the morning practice, which begins at about 5 a.m. and lasts three to four hours.

Not all stables appreciate visitors, however, and none enjoy people showing up unannounced.

Mark Buckton, editor of Sumo Fan Magazine and the sumo columnist for Japan Times, says it's essential to get a Japanese speaker to call ahead the day before to make sure it's OK to drop in. You can usually get the hotel concierge to dial in.

"There are around 12 to 15 stables in that area," explains Buckton. "Some places just don't want foreign people turning up and some have signs outside on the door in English."

Unless you can get ringside seats at a tournament, the morning practice at a sumo stadium is the closest you'll likely get to a sumo wrestler.

"The proximity of you to the wrestlers, it's like you're sitting in a living room, watching people at the opposite end fighting," says Buckton.

Sit still, don't say a word

Visitors to the stables are expected to stay still for the duration of the practice.

Yoshikazu Tsuno/AFP/Getty Images

Buckton points out that because the stables are basically the living quarters for the wrestlers and the sumo masters who oversee them, it's important that visitors show respect. He recalls a time he witnessed two American tourists tell the stable master to stop smoking.

This, he says, is a definite no-no. "It's their house," he says. "If I go to your house, I'm not going to ask you to stop doing something I don't like."

Because training takes a lot of focus, it's essential not to distract the wrestlers by talking or moving around a lot.

"You should expect to sit on the floor for two, two and a half hours," says Buckton. "They might offer you a cushion, they might not. You're not supposed to move, and that includes going to the toilet."

"And they will get annoyed if you start speaking."

As a result, he adds, it's definitely not a good environment for young children.

Buckton also says that, in keeping with Japanese etiquette, visitors should wear socks or tights, even when in sandals, as it's customary to remove shoes when entering.

Bare feet are deemed impolite.

In summer, it's best to wear something that covers up the shoulders. Also, "when you sit on the floor, you should never point the soles of your feet toward the ring."

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Don't be intimidated by their size. Sumo wrestlers are usually pretty friendly.

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Catching a morning training session can result in prime photo ops. The main rules?

Don't use a flash and mute the shutter sound on your phone.

Otherwise, taking pictures is usually permissible, though Buckton recommends taking one as a test and gauging the reaction of the wrestlers before continuing.

"If you're leaving near the end of practice, you might see wrestlers milling around outside," he says. "Go speak to them if you want a picture with the big guys.

What's it cost?

By and large, the only thing a trip to the sumo stables should cost is the metro fare to Ryogoku.

That said, there are several companies that have popped up in recent years charging exorbitant fees to sit in and watch a practice. Buckton's advice: Don't pay.

"Sometimes the stables will have morning practice, finish, then put on a fake practice for tourists," he says.

"They'll do a few dramatic throws and charge a couple of hundred dollars to eat with the wrestlers, but that's gimmicky. It's not the real world of sumo."

Furthermore, he says the guides associated with these types of tours aren't always sumo experts.

"To be a guide means you're Japanese. It doesn't mean you know what you're talking about. I've heard them come out with all sorts of BS about what's happening and tourists don't know what's right and what's wrong."

Where and when to go

Buckton says the best time to drop in on a session is the last week of December, the first week of January, the last week of April, the first week of May, the last week of August and the first week of September.

"It's because the tournaments are in January, May and September, and the weeks leading up are a good time to visit," he explains. "Practice can be quite intense and the wrestlers really go for it."